Caltrans uses helicopter to remove machinery from work site at Highway 1 near Rat Creek

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) Caltrans has been using tunneling equipment to install a 10-foot diameter, 1.2-inch thick steel pipe culvert underneath Highway 1 near Rat Creek, and on Tuesday, they used a helicopter to remove the equipment from the site.

The agency said it successfully completed the operation, and the culvert is expected to act as the centerpiece of redundant drainage infrastructure, which is expected to improve water flow capacity during future storms.

Highway 1 at Rat Creek was washed out during a storm in January. The roadway was reopened 86 days after it was washed out.

The machinery was broken into two segments, so the helicopter made two lifts to place the equipment on the side of the highway, where it will be transported away from the site.

The Highway is open, but construction work is expected to continue until sometime in late summer. There will be some intermittent reversing lane closures with some delays until construction wraps up.